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249 votes
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Has the 9th Circuit Court been overturned 80% of the time?

Summary It depends on your interpretation of the claim. Were 80% of all 9th Circuit Court decisions overturned? NO, not even close. Were 80% of the small minority of 9th Circuit Court decisions that ...
Kevin Fee's user avatar
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245 votes
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Is it illegal to own a rabbit in Queensland unless you're a magician?

From Queensland's Department of Agriculture and Fisheries brochure Can I have a pet rabbit?, Why are pet rabbits illegal in Queensland? Rabbits are Australia's most destructive agricultural ...
Rsf's user avatar
  • 3,004
182 votes
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Did Amazon pay $0 in US taxes in 2018?

When Bernie Sanders claimed Amazon didn't pay federal income taxes in 2017, Snopes wrote a helpful article: In regards to U.S. federal income taxes, the claim that Amazon paid none in 2017 is almost ...
Laurel's user avatar
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157 votes
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In Massachusetts, can someone be "arrested and fined up to fifty-thousand dollars" for reporting suspicious behavior in a women's bathroom?

The claim grossly misrepresents the details of the law TL;DR $50,000 is the maximum amount someone could be liable for due to egregious and repeated discrimination on account of gender identity, and ...
Kamil Drakari's user avatar
154 votes
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Does the Constitution of Bhutan state that 60% of Bhutan must be forested?

The Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan, Article 5, paragraph 3: The Government shall ensure that, in order to conserve the country’s natural resources and to prevent degradation of the ...
Nate Eldredge's user avatar
153 votes

Are US workers legally required to pay income taxes?

The IRS has a section of their website, The Truth About Frivolous Tax Arguments dedicated to explaining the flaws of popular incorrect arguments of why taxes don't have to be paid. Specifically, it ...
tim's user avatar
  • 52k
143 votes
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Was the Holocaust legal?

According to the Nazis' definition of "legal", it was. According to the Führerprinzip in Nazi Germany, Hitler was above the law by definition. His directives were statutory orders, i.e. law -...
DevSolar's user avatar
  • 19k
126 votes
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Are there vaccine ingredients which may not be disclosed ("hidden", "trade secret", or similar)?

TL;DR: In the US and the EU, vaccine manufacturers are required to disclose all ingredients within the vaccine on vaccine packaging inserts available online alphabetically and European public ...
Barry Harrison's user avatar
121 votes

Was a Canadian father jailed for referring to his trans son as his daughter?

Reliable information about this case is hard to find because there is a publication ban on the family identity and on discussion of the child's gender change. However here is a reliable report which I ...
DJClayworth's user avatar
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113 votes
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Did Abner Schoenwetter spend 6.5 years in jail because he used plastic bags instead of cardboard boxes when importing lobsters from Honduras?

To summarize: Honduras has regulations about what lobsters can be fished (to prevent over-exploitation). The defendants knowingly broke these regulations and then tried to hide their illegal ...
Laurel's user avatar
  • 31.6k
110 votes

Is there a death penalty if you jump off a building (and don't die) in New York?

No, New York does not have the death penalty. According to the Death Penalty Information Center: In 1995 newly-elected Governor George Pataki fulfilled a campaign promise and signed legislation ...
Oddthinking's user avatar
  • 142k
109 votes

Was Paul Manafort exonerated for the crimes he’s now charged with?

No, that's chronologically impossible, because some of the alleged crimes were committed less than 8 years ago. The charges against Manafort are specified in this indictment. Many of the charges ...
Nate Eldredge's user avatar
109 votes
Accepted

Was it ever illegal to name a pig "Napoleon" in France?

According to this article (French), there has never been such a law in French codes, but the rumor is persistent over time. It seems that it all come from the censorship of George Orwell's Animal ...
Gwen's user avatar
  • 1,701
95 votes
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Does New York City legally recognize 31 different genders?

I would like to present the same evidence as DavePhD's answer, but with a different summary of what it indicates. In summary: NYC recognises 3 genders on Birth Certificates (M, F, and X) The number ...
IMSoP's user avatar
  • 8,998
94 votes
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Is Alberta ending coronavirus restrictions because of failing to provide evidence of SARS-COV2 virus existence in court?

Short version: Mr. King is misrepresenting the words of a document he received in an ongoing court case against him. He misconstrues the document to mean there is no proof that the virus causing ...
JRE's user avatar
  • 5,913
93 votes
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Does saying "sorry" after an accident count as legal admission of fault?

I focused on the US for this answer. An apology does not automatically lead to the party being found guilty: The apology may not be admissible in court (but the laws are complicated, as usual). When ...
Laurel's user avatar
  • 31.6k
90 votes
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Does Lincoln County, Oregon require only white people to wear masks?

Lincoln county has published this statement: In this Directive there were several exceptions identified recognizing that not everyone could or should wear a face covering: ... People of color who ...
Dimitri Vulis's user avatar
89 votes

Can you have your lunch at your work-desk in France?

Yes, it is illegal for an employer to let an employee eat at their desk. Article R4228-19 It is forbidden to allow workers to take their meals in the premises assigned to work. It is the employer's ...
Gwen's user avatar
  • 1,701
85 votes
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Will the 2019 EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market ban memes?

BBC's coverage explains how that might happen: Jim Killock, executive director of the UK's Open Rights Group, told the BBC: "Article 13 will create a 'Robo-copyright' regime, where machines zap ...
Dolphin 613 Motorboat's user avatar
83 votes
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Did Hillary Clinton propose to punish flag burners in 2005?

The proposed law co-sponsored by Clinton in 2005 prohibits flag burning under specific circumstances. It does not attempt to make flag burning illegal in general (i.e. outside of those specific ...
ff524's user avatar
  • 10.2k
77 votes
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Is it illegal for regular US citizens to possess or read the Podesta emails published by WikiLeaks?

In current U.S. case law, it might be illegal to publish stolen documentary material, but prior case law rules it legal if the material is "of great public concern", which I think most media would ...
Avery's user avatar
  • 45.9k
77 votes

Is there a death penalty if you jump off a building (and don't die) in New York?

All laws related to attempted suicide in the State of New York were repealed before 1964. If the law had existed before then, it was never used. Any laws against suicide that may have existed were ...
DenisS's user avatar
  • 22.4k
73 votes

Has the 9th Circuit Court been overturned 80% of the time?

According to the American Bar Association article Supreme Court Reversal Rates: Evaluating the Federal Courts of Appeals: The reversal rates in Figure 2 range between 55% and 84%. Interestingly, this ...
DavePhD's user avatar
  • 107k
71 votes

Did 64,000 married Indian men take their own lives in 2012 after charges of domestic abuse?

It seems highly unlikely. The person making the claim claims there are about 64,000 suicides every year, "due to alleged misuse of section 498a of IPC against them." He then goes on to quote the ...
PoloHoleSet's user avatar
  • 9,678
69 votes

Does Lincoln County, Oregon require only white people to wear masks?

No, there is currently no such requirement or exception to that requirement. For one week the health guidelines related to masks in Lincoln County, OR included an exception for people of color who ...
Giter's user avatar
  • 11.4k
69 votes
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Will a proposed Canadian law allow minors to be euthanized without parental consent?

Currently Canada's euthanasia law does not permit the euthanasia of minors, with or without parental consent. With the passing of Bill C-7 (taking effect March 2023) the criteria have been expanded to ...
DJClayworth's user avatar
  • 57.6k
67 votes
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Did the 2nd Amendment limit the purchase of cannons from the day it was passed?

Did the 2nd Amendment really limit the purchase of cannons from the day it was passed? No. The 2nd Amendment protects "the right of the people to keep and bear arms" and does not single out ...
Barry Harrison's user avatar
60 votes

Are US workers legally required to pay income taxes?

No it is not true. The Sixteenth Amendment was adopted in 1913, so taxes not apportioned to states are constitutional. US Code 26 Subtitle A is the relevant law. The quoted text seems to allude to a ...
Paul Johnson's user avatar
  • 16.6k
60 votes
Accepted

Is a married woman in Michigan required to have her husband's permission to cut her hair?

The claim is false. For at least 171 years (93%) of Michigan's 184 year existence, married women in Michigan have NOT needed their husband's permission to do anything to their hair. Since 1850, the ...
Barry Harrison's user avatar

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